Secret Societies

SECRET SOCIETIES Copyright © 2006 by John Lawrence Reynolds First published in Canada by Key Porter Books Limited, Toronto, Canada, 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers. The right of John Lawrence Reynolds to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Condition of Sale This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher. Summersdale Publishers Ltd 46 West Street Chichester West Sussex PO19 1RP UK www.summersdale.com Disclaimer Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted; should there be any omissions in this respect we apologise and shall be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition. Printed and bound in Great Britain. ISBN: 1-84024-612-X ISBN 13: 978-1-84024-612-4 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 2 31/08/2007 17:00:41 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 3 31/08/2007 17:00:41 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 4 31/08/2007 17:00:46 For Anna P., of course. Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 5 31/08/2007 17:00:46 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 6 31/08/2007 17:00:46 Cruelty has a human heart, And jealousy a human face; Terror the human form divine And secrecy the human dress. William Blake The more things you know, or pretend to know, the more powerful you are. It doesn’t matter if the things are true. What counts, remember, is to possess a secret. Umberto Eco Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 7 31/08/2007 17:00:46 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 8 31/08/2007 17:00:46 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Fools, Fears and Fanatics.............................................................11 1. THE ASSASSINS Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted.......................................18 2. TEMPLARS, ILLUMINATI AND FREEMASONS The Secret Seat of Power..............................................................41 3. PRIORY OF SION Keepers of the Holy Grail..............................................................72 4. DRUIDS AND GNOSTICS Knowledge and the Eternal Soul..................................................94 5 KABBALAH Origins of the Apocalypse..........................................................110 6. ROSICRUCIANS The Pursuit of Esoteric Wisdom.................................................127 7. TRIADS Cultural Criminals........................................................................143 8. THE MAFIA AND COSA NOSTRA Wise Guys and Businessmen.....................................................157 9. YAKUZA Traditions and Amputations........................................................180 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 9 31/08/2007 17:00:46 10. WICCA The Great Goddess and the Horned God..................................189 11. SKULL & BONES America’s Secret Establishment.................................................208 12. SECRET SOCIETIES IN POPULAR CULTURE An Endless Fascination..............................................................230 13. CRITICS, ALARMISTS AND CONSPIRACY THEORISTS When Does Paranoia Make Sense?...........................................246 AFTERWORD Of Demons and Baloney.............................................................267 NOTES..........................................................................................270 PICTURE CREDITS........................................................................285 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................286 INDEX..........................................................................................287 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 10 31/08/2007 17:00:47 INTRODUCTION Fools, Fears and Fanatics They were among the most frightening of early secret societies, a furtive group both feared and hated by citizens of the Roman Empire. Many suggested killing every man, woman and child who were members. Others proposed caution, having heard tales of bloody vengeance taken against enemies of the group. Some grew worried that their own neighbors might be society members, infecting their children with dangerous ideas and engaging them in revolting practices. A few were fascinated by the outrageous antics attributed to this secret organization; their curiosity piqued, their imaginations running rampant, they asked themselves: could these people really be so depraved? Tales exchanged among the Romans were almost beyond belief. The members of this secret group, it was said, were cannibalistic, eating human flesh and drinking human blood during secret rituals, and their gory feasts often included newborn babies. They promoted sexual orgies among brothers and sisters, and engaged in bizarre ceremonies, met in clandestine locations, avoided contact with respectable society, and identified themselves by flashing the image of an instrument of torture when they met. “An infant covered with their meal that it may deceive the unwary,” one Roman wrote, “is placed before him who is to be stained with their rites. This infant is slain by the young pupil, who has been urged on as if to harmless blows on the surface of the 11 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 11 31/08/2007 17:00:47 SECRET SOCIETIES meal, with dark and secret wounds. Thirstily—O horror!—they lick up its blood; eagerly they divide its limbs. By this victim they are pledged together; with this consciousness they are covenanted to mutual silence. Such sacred rites as these are more foul than any sacrileges . .” Throughout the Mediterranean region during the first century of the first millennium, especially among Romans, who valued nobility above all qualities, these stories were equally repulsive and fascinating. Roman politicians began demanding elimination of the sect, without question or exception. Most citizens agreed, and crowds began to gather in the marketplace where they exchanged tales, confirmed evidence, and embellished the more unpleasant aspects of the secret society’s behavior. Over time, a consensus was reached: something must be done to break the cult’s bonds and rein in these scoundrels, these perverts, these insurgents, these . Christians. From our perspective two thousand years later, the tales of disgusting Christian practices sound like propaganda created by members of the Roman senate as a strategy to eliminate the sect. Perhaps by spreading vile stories among the populace, we assume, citizens would be dissuaded from joining the ranks of Christians, and Rome’s harsh treatment of the new religion’s followers would be supported. In reality, the Roman senate had little to do with the outrageous tales. While the general populace may have been scandalized by reports of cannibalism and incest, public opinion mattered little to politicians, who were concerned with more practical matters, including the refusal of Christians to worship the emperor. Tolerant of religious disparity generally, Rome’s major objection addressed this single unacceptable behavior, considered an act of disloyalty to the Empire. When Christians began converting others to their point of view, their actions represented an insurgency that could not be ignored. At that point, Roman leaders encouraged stories of their scandalous activities, employing them as a weapon to suppress the movement. But Rome’s senate and other leaders did not originate the stories of bizarre behavior by Christians. These yarns, spun in the imaginations of ordinary citizens, were based on information provided by Christians themselves—information subject to 12 Secret Societies_INSIDES.indd 12 31/08/2007 17:00:47 INTRODUCTION exaggeration and malignment that grew directly out of the twin mills of ignorance and suspicion. Consider the clues that inspired the tales: Secrecy Christians kept to themselves, did not admit strangers to their ceremonies without the approval of a known member, and demanded that new members undergo a test of faith before being admitted. But there were valid reasons for all these actions. Following Christ’s crucifixion, declaring that you were a Christian was akin to signing your death warrant. When Christians began concealing their activities in response, paranoia over their goals and practices grew deeper and more widespread, stimulating a more desperate need for members to mask their identity. And so spun the cycle of oppression, leading to deeper secrecy and generating greater paranoia, inviting new oppression. Cannibalism Didn’t Christians conduct ceremonies in which they consumed the flesh of a man, and drank his blood? Of course they did. To Christians, the Communion sacrament represented an allegory of oneness with the spirit. To unbelievers, it sounded suspiciously like repulsive reality. Eating babies Lacking effective methods of contraception and abortion, poor Roman citizens set unwanted infants outside to die of starvation and exposure. As abhorrent as this may be to modern sensibilities, it was acceptable practice in a culture where unwanted mouths to feed presented a major burden on the family. When Christians began rescuing these infants from certain death, baptizing them into their faith, Romans grew confused. Why would someone choose to raise another’s child?

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